The Residents Association of Dana Bay Conservancy We care about our environment

Dana Bay Conservancy.   

Our Beach Cleanup was held on Monday, 15 September.  12 interested parties arrived of which 2 decided to clean up the Blinde River estuary. The others were divided into two groups.  One group headed towards Second Beach while the other headed east.  A huge amount of garbage was collected again.    

Lots of bits of plastic, especially bottle caps, from storm water drains, landed up on the beach after the storm at the beginning of the September.  These plastic bits float on the water, adult birds feed them to their chicks.  The chicks eventually die of starvation but with bellies full of litter.  Plastic kills.  Thick plastic like bottle tops will take approx. 300 years to disintegrate.  

Lots of rope from boats and bits of fishing net were also collected.  Another problem area is the fishing line that gets tossed onto the rocks.  This line causes maiming and even death to both marine and terrestrial animals.  Line around a bird’s leg results in gangrene and a slow painful loss of its limb.  More often than not birds get entangled and drown with the incoming tide.  We implore all fishermen, please have the courtesy to take your garbage and entangled fishing line and toss in the bins provided. 

Numerous plastic bags containing stinking bait were collected as well.  Plastic bags are ingested by dolphins and all our marine animals.  Plastic bags cause suffocation and death.  Remember, plastic in the water is invisible.  

Tonight it may be YOUR party, but tomorrow it might be YOUR child’s foot that needs stitches!   Broken bottles on the rocks ARE dangerous.  We appeal to the public, use our beautiful beaches with care and consideration.  Remove your garbage and don’t litter.  It is not only unsightly but life threatening to our marine and terrestrial animals.  

A huge “thank you” to every participant, it’s a thankless job but you did GREAT.A special word of “thank you” to our Municipal cleaners.  Every beach user has been able to see the difference you make.